earn (redirected from earning)

earn one's keep

to help out with chores in return for food and a place to live; to earn one's pay by doing what is expected. I earn my keep at college by shoveling snow in the winter. Tom hardly earns his keep around here. He should be fired.

See also: keep

earn one's spurs

Fig. to prove oneself. After that rodeo, all the cowboys agreed that Sally had earned her spurs. He felt that he had earned his spurs when he received his Ph.D.

See also: spur

penny saved is a penny earned

Prov. Money that you save is more valuable than money that you spend right away.; It is good to save money. Now that you have your first job, you ought to open a savings account. A penny saved is a penny earned. Mary worked hard to save money; she knew that a penny saved is a penny earned.

See also: penny, save

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A penny saved is a penny earned.

something that you say which means it is wise to save money I'd advise anyone to put aside a proportion of their earnings - a penny saved is a penny earned.

See also: penny, save

earn your stripes

to do something to show that you deserve a particular rank or position and have the skills needed for it She earned her stripes as a junior reporter before becoming education correspondent.

See earn brownie points, earn spurs

earn/get brownie points  (informal)

to get praise or approval for something you have done I thought I might get some brownie points by helping to organize the party.

See also: point

earn/win your spurs

to do something to show that you deserve a particular position and have the skills needed for it He won his political spurs fighting hospital closures during his time as a local councillor in Bristol.

See also: spur

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earn your stripes

to do something to show that you deserve a particular rank or position She earned her stripes as a local reporter before becoming a foreign correspondent.

Etymology: based on the idea that soldiers wear stripes (strips of material sewn onto a uniform that show rank)